Life at its normalest
by RosesInJamJars
Summary: My first fanfic. Mainly Ganith, but with some Fletcherie and Chulduggery too.
1. Boredom

Tanith sighed normally, on a Friday night, and a whole weekend off from her various employers and Skulduggery (!yay!) she would have been with Val on a sugar high. She drummed her fingers against the counter top. She sighed again. Thumping music drifted in through the window from the teenages who lived on the ground floor. She thought about she could call. Val? On a date. Fletcher? With Val. Skulduggery? Good god no. China? Am I thinking straight? Erksine...Nooooo . She wouldn't feel right about..._Ghastly!_ In some god forsaken place or another. She sat on the couch and turned the TV on. She flicked through the channels, but nothing interested her. She turned off the TV and looked around in silence. Her apartment, on reflection, was drab. It was dull. It was BORING. At this point the phone rang, and she practically jumped on it.

"Hello?" she answered. There was slightly stunned silence on the other end at her instant response.

"Uh," he replied, snapping out of it. "Tanith, it's Ghastly."

"Hi!" she replied, leaning on the arm of the couch. "How's... umm, Zal, no, Zel no-"

"Can't I just tell you?" he interrupted helpfully on the other end.

"Zelway!" Tanith shrieked. There was muttering on the other end.

"Zilzie actually, and just so you know Miss Low, I was quite fond of that eardrum."

Tanith laughed.

"So...?" she asked.

"So... what?"

"Why did you call me? From Australia, that must cost alot..."

"I'm not in Australia Tanith." He replied quickly. Tanith frowned, confused. "I'm at home. Just I haven't told anyone."

"Uhhhh, _why?_" Then Ghastly started stuttering.

"Well- I was kind of wondering if, only if you want to, like if you don't have any other plans or anything..."

"Yes?" Tanith prompted.

"If you would like to maybe..."

"Yes?" she prompted again.

"Come see a movie with me?" he blurted out all at once. She was stunned, that didn't take nearly as long as she had expected. Thousands of questions popped up in her head, all stumbling over each other to get out.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well sort of like- maybe a... date?" Tanith broke into a smile.

"What movie?" she teased.

"Your choice." He said, gaining his confidence.

"...Well," she began, a bit stunned, "It's what? Six thirty now... pick me up at seven?"

"Sure... see you then!" he replied happily, and hung-up.

Tanith put the phone down. She calmly looked at it sitting in the receiver. Then she jumped in the air Toyota style and screamed "FINALLY!". Much to the alarm of her neighbours.


	2. Cinemas and Party Animals

**Thankyou to all the wonderful people who reviewed! you made me happy, so I added the next chapter early. Hope you like it!**

Tanith was breathing deeply. She sat on the couch, with her legs crossed, her hands flat on her knees. She ex-haled, and looked at the clock on the wall, Three minutes. Bugger. She was wearing skinny jeans with a whit tank-top, and a more delicate sort of leather jacket that what she usually wore, this one coming to mid-backside. She got up, and looked at herself in the mirror, and realised that her hair was still a mess. She paled. She sprinted into the bathroom, and madly began combing her hair. She began squeezing fistfuls with water, praying that the bottom would go curly like it normally did. She ran into her bedroom, and grabbed some ear rings from her jewellery box (though it was much smaller than most other girls'), as the doorbell rung. "COMING!" she shouted, as she popped in the ear rings, and dashed one last time into the bathroom to check her hair, she looked at her feet, and face palmed, before running to her wardrobe and grabbing some heels. She grabbed her hand bag from the bed post, and ran to the door. "Hi." She said casually. Ghastly raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Hi." He replied, before handing her a single white rose. She grinned, and put it on the dresser just inside the door, before going outside and closing the door.

Ghastly and Tanith walked down the street, just chatting about the movie, and Ghastly's trip. He smiled at her, and then grabbed her hand. She grinned, and studied his scars as he talked. The best one in her opinion, was the one that went from his right cheek, over his nose, and finished his left ear.

Ghastly's POV

He smiled. Finally, FINALLY , he had gotten up the courage to ask her. He smiled at her and grabbed her hand. He was talking, and he knew she was studying his scars.

Still Ghastly's POV

The movie was about half way through. He didn't think Tanith was enjoying it, or was particulaly scared, but he had a feeling she had picked a boring movie on porpous, Tanith had had alot of experience after all. He thought. He realised, that he actually didn't know much about Tanith's past. He looked over at her, and realised with a start, that she was resting her head on shoulder. "When did that happen?" he asked himself, startled. This was where he was supposed to put his arm around her shoulders wasn't it? He hadn't been on as many dates as Tanith may or may not have been on. Well, his last date had been fifty years ago... and that hadn't ended to well. He shifted nervously, and moved his arm a litlle bit, but lost his nerve. He did this for a minute or so, before Tanith, without looking up from the screen, said,

"Just do it." he put his arm around her shoulders, and she smiled at him. She flinched, as she turned around, to see the explorer's head fly across the screen, and Ghastly had to surpress a laugh. Tanith whacked him in the knee with the back of her hand. They laughed, as another man got disemboweled, and shushed by an old lady behind them.

"Isn't it a little late for her to be out?" whispered Tanith. Ghastly shrugged.

"Maybe she's a wild party animal." he whispered back, and they broke into another fit of laughter. So far, so good. Maybe this wouldn't be such a failure.


	3. The phone call

Ghastly's POV

Ghastly woke up a bit too late for his liking, and looked around the room. He grinned as he remembered the night, and grinned even more as he remembered kissing Tanith goodnight. The phone rang, and he rolled out of bed, and hit the floor with a thud. He reached up and grabbed the phone from the bedside table, and answered it, rubbing his back.

"Hi!" Tanith greeted him cheerily.

"Hey!" he replied, sitting up and holding his back.

"Thanks for last night..." Tanith continued, "But I've been doing some thinking." Ghastly felt like his stomach had all of a sudden turned to lead. Tanith noticed the silence, and immediately replied. "No no, it's nothing like that!" she said, panicking.

"Oh thank god," Ghastly breathed, then smiled. " You had me worried there for a minute..., anyway sorry, what were you saying?"

"Oh yeah, well, I thought, maybe we shouldn't exactly um... _tell _the others." Ghastly frowned.

"Why not?" he asked, highly confused. "Wouldn't they be happy?"

"Yeah, they would be happy, but... well, it's just how they act, or in Valkyrie's case interfere."

"Well, now you've completely lost me, can you go into a _little bit_ more detail please?"

"Well Fletcher would make stupid remarks and sexist jokes, China would roll her eyes, Valkyrie would go round there and kick your butt every time we had a teeny disagreement, Skulduggery would either not react, or lecture you about your job, and 'distractions' and stuff like that, Erksine would feel left out and pouty like a six year old, Anton honestly wouldn't care, and I'm pretty sure Finbar would puke." She said very fast.

"Ah." Was all Ghastly could really say.

"But you can see where I'm coming from can't you?" she asked.

"Yeah, I can see it... So you really think we shouldn't tell our closest friends that we're going out? Lie and deceive them? ... Ok, sounds good to me!"

Tanith laughed. "Ok, well thanks again for last night, I'll see you soon!"

"Bye!" he hung up the phone, then lay back on the floor and laughed. He had a shower and got dressed, and as he walked down the stairs humming to himself, he just hoped the other's wouldn't notice how happy he was when they got here.


	4. The long one

Ghastly was humming happily to himself as he made himself a cup of tea. Somebody knocked on the door, and he looked out the window, to see the side profile of Valkyrie and someone next to her on the other side, he couldn't see the other person's face, but he did see a mop of blonde hair sticking out next to Valkyrie's head. Fletcher. He wandered over to the door to let them in. He opened the door to two faces that looked about as happy as funeral directors. He raised an eyebrow, and then saw Fletcher's black eye. He opened the door wider, and let them in. They entered in silence, and plonked themselves down in arm chairs in the back room. Ghastly closed and locked the door, and turned around.

"So…?" he asked, turning around and leaning against a shelf. "To what pleasure do I owe this morbid, and slightly panda-ish visit?" Valkyrie buried her face in her hands, and began to sob. Fletcher rushed over to her, and gave her a hug. He looked up a Ghastly with a pleading face, that made Ghastly want to do whatever Fletcher asked, but he had no idea what to do. Slowly, he walked over to Valkyrie, and put a hand on her shoulder. He kneeled next to her, and said gently, "Valkyrie, I can help you two, I will do whatever it takes, _just tell me what is wrong_." She looked up at him, then nodded to Fletcher. Fletcher nodded, and guided Ghastly to the other side of the room. They sat down and Fletcher began to talk.

**Fletcher's POV…**

Valkyrie's awesome birthday present that _I_ gave her was a trip to Germany for a week. She was excited and jumping off the walls, until we all had lunch for her birthday. We went with Skulduggery and Tanith, Ghastly would have come too, but he was I Australia. We were all sitting around the table eating, well not Skulduggery anyway.

"So Valkyrie, what did porky-head get you for your present, you havn't told me yet?" Tanith asked.

"A trip to Germany for the week, starting the day after tomorrow," she said, then looked at Skulduggery. "Oh yeah, that's right, Skulduggery, I'll not be doing any Sherlock for a week ok?" she said, and continued cutting her food.

"No." Skulduggery said, plain and simple. All heads turned, and silence fell on the table. "What did you say?" Valkyrie asked.

"I said no."

"But-" she began, astounded.

"But nothing." He interrupted, unusually out of character. "Your job requires you to where you need to be, _when I say_ no buts!"

"It's a birthday present! You can't just say '_No_', its not fair!"

"_Life_ is not fair Valkyrie. You cannot just take time off whenever you _feel_ like it, just take time off _later_ not _now_."

"Then when can I take time off? If you please _sir_?" Skulduggery paused.

"Maybe in a few months or so…" Valkyrie gaped.

"A few _months_?"

"Yes, is there something wrong with tha- why did you kick me?" he asked in response to a sudden movment under the table, resulting in the cutlery all shaking, and Tanith's body jerking once and violently.

"Skulduggery, Valkyrie's been working too hard lately, she has a new baby sister who has kept her awake every night, and it's all too stressful for her, she just needs a break." I said stepping in calmly.

"Shut up hair ball!" he snapped, my calm approach not exactly catching on.

"Skulduggery, this is _so_ unlike you? _Why are you being like this?_"

"I ACT LIKE THIS, WHEN ALL THE PEOPLE AROUND ME ACT LIKE IMMATURE IDIOTS!" he shouted, and every eye in the café swivelled to them. Valkyrie stood up, grabbed my hand, and pulled me from the café.

**Later that night…**

I had dragged Valkyrie to an empty house on the bottom of cemetery hill, and had been trying to convince her to go and talk to Skulduggery, after having my ear drum practically burst from one side of my head through to the other by Tanith. I told Tanith we were on a date, but we were definitely not having fun.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, NO! I don't want to! HE ruined my birthday, I don't-want-to-talk to-him!" I grabbed her shoulders, and she wriggled and squirmed.

"Listen Valkyrie, I know you're angry, but it's only fair that you at least _try_ and talk to him, you are friends after all, just give him a chance." She scowled at him, but trudged out the door, and up the road, to the house on the end.

We reached the door, and knocked, but no-one answered. I reached around Val, and knocked again. The lights were on and I could hear music, I knocked again. This time I heard shuffling, the door opened a cack, and Skulduggery peered out.

"Ah, hello there dear Valkyrie, ah and Fletcher too! What a pleasant surprise!"

"Skulduggery, we came to talk about what happened at lunch today." Valkyrie said.

"Well, yes this may not be the best time to talk…" he muttered shiftily. "Maybe some other time? Good, good, well, goodbye then!" he said and began to close the door, but Valkyrie jammed her foot in the way.

"Not so fast bone boy." She snarled. "I want to know what you're hiding!" she said, snapping her palm forward, blasting him backwards, and the door wide open. I ran forwards to make sure Skulduggery didn't hurt her or anything. Valkyrie ran into the doorway to the lounge room, but stopped. I dragged Skulduggery over to the doorway so I could see too. My jaw fell to the ground. Mostly because of what she was wearing, but the intelligent side of my brain told me to look at who was sitting on the couch. Wearing a mini dress with an incredibly low neckline, which I thought was amazing, but people like Val or Tanith would have thought was revolting. Sitting on the couch, was China Sorrows. I kept on gaping, when a fist hit me in the eye. I whipped around, and Skulduggery threw another punch, and hit me in the head. My vision swam, and I fell to the ground.

I woke up in the same house on cemetery road that Valkyrie and I had argued in last night. I was lying on the floor, with what appeared to be Valkyrie's coat under my head. I sat up, and groaned. My head felt like I had an elephant standing on it. Valkyrie was next to me in a second.

"How do you feel?" she asked me gentley, her voice laced with worry.

"Urgh, great, just great." I muttered, looking out a shattered window. "How long have we been here?"

"About three hours, I took you to the sanctuary doctors, but I couldn't stay in case Skulduggery came, and I wanted to talk to China, so I thought we could stay here until she left, intercept her, and talk then." I smiled, and kissed her. We broke apart, when we heard an engine on the top of the hill.

"Stay here." She said quickly, then ran outside. I watcher her dive onto the bonnet of the car, making the car screech to a halt, and spin slightly. I grinned God forbid Valkyrie could do anything simple. China got out of the car and they began talking. I waited, and waited. At one stage I saw China say something, then nod, turn to me, smile and wave at me. I could feel myself go red, and I sank beneath the window. Valkyrie was right, I am _not_ God's gift to Women. After a few more minutes, she started looking at her feet, and soon she started to cry. China remained as expressionless as ever. I ran outside, but Valkyrie whipped around, and pointed for me to go back. She stayed outside for about ¾ of an hour. Eventually she came back in, and started to cry. I grabbed her coat, and touched her on the shoulder. We appeared on Haggard pier. She didn't even look at me. She went inside her house, and came back out twenty minutes later, showered and changed.

"What did China say to you?" I asked.

"Ghastly's Shop." Was all she said.

**Ghastly's POV...**

"And now here we are." he finished.

"What did China tell her?" Ghastly asked.

"No idea, but there's a reason she told me to come here. Not Tanith's, not her _home_."

"Well _find out what it is_." Fletcher nodded


	5. We're not that different

China Sorrows sat by a window meditating.

**Across the city, Tanith sat by the window un-characteristically day dreaming about Ghastly. **

_Valkyrie Cain sat by the window in the moonlight, thinking about the trip to Germany. _

China adjusted her pale green silk dressing gown. She fingered her pearl necklace and straightened a book in the shelf next to her. A paperback book from the nineteen eighties was sitting on the table, with a skull on the front. She paused for a moment, then picked up a white phone plated with gold.

"Skulduggery? Hello, I have a request to ask of you…"

**Tanith was still staring out the window when the phone rang. She reached backwards and picked up the handset. **

"**Hey Ghastly, howayah?" **

"**Hey beautiful!" came his voice from the phone.**

"**Beautiful?" she teased "I can get used to this sort of treatment! So waddayahwant?" he muttered something that sounded funnily like **

"**Beautiful, not classy." Tanith politely ignored it, and figured she'd get him back later. **

"**So anyway… were you interested in that second date…?"**

_Valkyrie's phone vibrated on her desk. She reached over and picked it up. Fletcher's name flashed across the screen._

"_Hey babe!" he greeted. "Are your parents home?" _

"_No," she said suspiciously. 'Whhhy?"_

"_Just in case you wanted to tell me what China told you that made the great Valkyrie Cain cry?"_

"_Nah, I'll never tell you." She said. _

"_Oh, we'll see about that…" he said, and she knew he was grinning._

"_Wha-…?" she asked, but her question was answered when Fletcher appeared behind her, grabbed her and began tickling her, she shrieked with laughter, but Fletcher kept tickling._

Skulduggery and China were dancing in the moonlight on the balcony, drinking champagne. A vintage vinyl record player softly playing nineteen fourties slow dance track. China touched Skulduggery's face, feeling his soft skin. She slid her hand down to his chest, where she felt his brand new heart beating.

"You're almost like a different man with organs now…" she breathed in his ear.

"Yes, but even though I have more Façade tattoos, I'm still the same lovable bag of bones…"

"Yes, I said almost different, but thankfully you're still the same man." Skulduggery looked at her like she was an alien.

"Did the great and beautiful China Sorrows just say that she was glad I'm still the same person?" she smiled at him.

"Yes," she smiled, "Yes I did." She pulled him closer by his tie, and kissed him.

**Tanith came to Ghastly's door, smiling like mad. They had strolled through the streets holding hands, talking and snogging. Ghastly looked at what Tanith was looking at, and tried to pull her away. **

"**Oh no!" he laughed, and kept on trying to pull her away, but Tanith stayed put. She suddenly sprung into movement, and dived up the steps to the door. Ghastly was dragged along with her. She kicked the door, and said**

"**Open it **_**gorgeous face**_**." She giggled. "No Tanith, I think you might be **_**slightly**_** drunk, I'm not sure **_**when**_** you drank, or if it was with me, **_**how **_**you ended up consuming alchohol, but all I know is I think you're drunk." **

"**I'm not drunk!" she said, crowing with laughter. "Now **_**open up**_**!" You could see the doubt in his face. "Come on," she continued, sensing he was weakening. "You know you want to!" almost there "Beautiful but not classy? For that, there is only one way to achieve forgiveness, **_**so open the stupid door**_**!" Ghastly grunted with annoyance, as he un-locked the door, and allowed Tanith to pull him inside.**

_Fletcher and Valkyrie lay curled up, ontop of the covers, laughing hysterically. She rested her head on his chest, and soon she was asleep. Fletcher looked down at her and smiled. He layed his head back, and was asleep soon to. _


	6. Authors note XD

Ok, I'm really sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been kind of busy (lazy), with my science program (Doctor Who/Big Bang theory), and haven't written anything in ages. Mainly because I was writing really well and fast, and then I stopped and splatted against a brick wall, so yeah... the holidays are coming up, and I'll post something then, but un-fortunately not earlier because next week I have school camp... and then the holidays when we get back, so wish me luck!

The other thing is, just so you know, this is set after Dark Days, and before Mortal Coil, but when it's time for Mortal Coil's after effects, it will skip the story, and go straight to Post-remnant Skulduggery.

PLEASE don't give up on the story, just remember:\

-The dates...

-What did China say to Valkyrie

-And the un-expected twist that I just invented then because I ran out of dot points, and like to have at least three dot points. Wait and find out what it is (along with me)!

Spock fingers! Bazinga

PS. Thank you all you wonderful reviewers!


	7. Oh dear, this is not good

Tanith woke up on the floor in a tangle of blankets, and her face cracked into a grin as she remembered doing the most romantic thing two adults could do together on a date. Watch The Big Bang Theory.

Sanguine POV

Tanith and the Tailor. Urgh. I mean he had seen some pretty revolting stuff, with the whole _'Deluxe hitman'_ thing, but this came ontop. After all his suduction between trying to kill each other, she runs off, and hooks up with the tailor. He was jerked out of his misery by the lovely woman in question walking around the corner, and entering the apartment building. After a few minutes she appeared at one of the windows, pulling the curtains open.

"Third from the ground, second from the left, third from the ground second from the left." He murmured to himself, memorizing it. He pulled out his razor, and stepped out of his car, taking his time.

"Treasure your last moments darlin'…" he muttered to himself.

Hell, if he couldn't have Tanith Low, no-one else could.


	8. dis cont noe

Ok, sorry to get your hopes up, this is just another author's note.

Well not an author's note.

A notice.

A (and although it pains me to say it)Dis-continuation notice.

I'm sorry! I'm just not writing that much anymore, and slightly over Ghastly, but whatever.

Anyway, I may still post stuff if I'm bored, but don't get your hopes up, it won't happen all that often. So, sorry about that. I may write another SP one sometime in the future, but about Fletcherie.

So,

Goodbye,

Farewell,

So-long,

Spock- Fingers,

And all my reviewers are COOL CORN!

Especially muz97.


End file.
